Approval
by NerfHerder101
Summary: AU The many stages Athrun Zala goes through to get his father to accept that the love of his life is a natural. Asucaga
1. Almost

He was surprised really. _She_ had forced _him_ to drag _his_ father out of Genesis. He had been just as ready to leave him there and had almost done it. She had stared at him angrily, but Athrun believed what he said.

"He's already dead to me; there's no need to save him." He was sure if she had, had the time Cagalli would've have yelled at him harder and longer. After all to her a father represented something different than it did to him and her's was dead.

So, a week later – after the final battle - when he received a call from a hospital he'd never heard of, telling him about a person he wished he'd never known, he almost hung up the phone. When they told him his name was on his father's catatonic lips, he stopped and paused and told them he would be right over. He almost changed his mind and almost didn't go. Funny how there were so many almost involved with his father.

Without putting the telephone down he pushed a button and waited for the dial tone. Athrun proceeded to call a number his fingers had already memorized and saying words his mouth had become so familiar with, "I need you."

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What was only minutes, seemed like hours as he waited for her to make her way across the hanger from the Kusanagi to the Archangel. Athrun waited outside his door for her and when she arrived quickly hugged her around the waist and told her who had called.

"You idiot." Cagalli sighed, not exactly what one would call words of romance, especially when the one involved in her romance happened to be squeezing her around her mid-section. "This is no big deal; I'll definitely go with you. You can talk to him and I can stand over your shoulder and glare at him."

His noticeably tense body relaxed and Athrun let a relieved chuckle rumble through his chest. Cagalli's toes tingled when she felt her own head vibrate from where it was lying on his vibrating upper body. Blood was rushing to her head faster than her body could keep up, and all she could do was stare down at the floor when he released to her.

"I don't know if I'll talk to him." Athrun gave a tired little breath, taking her by the hand and leading her back to the exit of the Archangel.

"Why the hell not. It's not like he can really do anything."

"Well he is in a practically brain dead condition; I doubt he'll even recognize me. It was hard enough for him to do it when his brain worked. Though, I dunno…"

"Oh, right, I forgot that little stupid state part… well, it's your name he's saying, right?" She looked at him questioningly, wisps of blond hair blowing back as they walked along the outside, searching for a working turbocar that might take them to the hospital Patrick Zala was stationed at.

"Mmmhmm" he murmured with a nod of the head, spotting a car.

"Then maybe he will wake up, stop being so pessimistic. It's freaking depressing." Cagalli gave him a light punch on the shoulder before Athrun gallantly opened the car door and let her in before crawling in after her.

When the turbocar was finally on it's way he laughed and said, "How can I be depressed with a girl like you around." She blushed and smiled, preferring to stare out the window of the car as it directed itself towards their destination.

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The Hospital was not what one would expect the chairman to be housed in. It wasn't run down or anything, just very, very small. In fact Chairman Zala might well be the only patient in the clinic. Cagalli let out a surprised noise when they came upon it, and scrunched up her face in what Athrun would call a cute, confused face.

"It's to escape the publicity." Her face loosened and Athrun almost wished he hadn't explained it, if only to keep watching her.

She grabbed him and pulled him inside, letting out a "Well, let's get this over with."

The nurse inside – probably the only one that worked there – smiled at them and pointed in the direction.

"Think we'll get lost." Cagalli joked, looking down the hallway with only two doors.

"I don't know, you _are_ leading the way." Athrun laughed and dodged a flying fist. He then moving ahead, stopping in front of the door to look back at Cagalli's red face.

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The door seemed to grow before him, to the point it loomed over him. All the tension he had been avoiding by picking on Cagalli the way here returned and he clenched his fist. Sweat ran down his palms and he couldn't grasp the door handle. His hand seemed so far away from it and a pounding began resounding in his head. Memories of all that his father had done flooded him and he remembered his almost suicide in an attempt to reverse his father's work.

Cagalli held his hand and opened the door for him.

She then shoved him inside, telling him she was going to get something to drink, and then locked the door behind him. Athrun refused to panic, he also refused to take a step or look up or stop rattling the door knob in an attempt to escape.

He eventually gave up and walked forward, passing a small bathroom and entering a space that reminded him of a hotel room, a hotel room with bright, hot pink walls. Green eyes widened slightly as he saw his father sitting on the edge of the bed nearest him. His hand twitched at his side and his first reaction was to walk up and punch the man hard, but he stopped when his father looked at him. Athrun stared into supposedly dead eyes and saw a broken man, burdened with the death of his wife and maddened with his almost revenge.

"Hello, father."

"Address me as proper, traitor."

Patrick Zala was back.

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All of Athrun's fear melted away, and he took that step, attempting to hit his dad. With reflexes faster then what one would expect from a man who had just snapped out of a practically brain dead state, he grabbed Athruns's fist twisting it and clenching it in a painful arm lock behind his son's back.

Cagalli chose that moment to barge in with three sodas and a candy bar.

Athrun unclenched his teeth and looked at the blonde girl who just stared at the two men before her. He shook off his father and wrenched his wrist free before heading towards Cagalli and picking up a soda.

The Chairman observed them carefully, like a lion stalking his prey. Watching the way Athrun's hand lingered on the girls when he was handed the soda, and the way his hand played with a golden lock of hair as he whispered words to her. "Who is this?" Patrick Zala demanded.

A Lion may have been the predator, but the prey moved faster this time. "I'm Cagalli, soda?" She offered up a diet coke to the stiff man on the bed.

"A natural, Athrun? You truly have turned traitor to all of our ideals." He sneered at the girl holding a soda out to him and curled his lip up in disgust when addressing his son.

Athrun stared calmly at his father, Cagalli was in the room after all. When she was there it felt like there was an invisible hand reaching across the floor and clenching his. "Your ideals, not mine." He unscrewed the cap on his own Mr. Pibb.

The older Zala glared angrily at the violation of his own principles, a natural and a coordinator together! "I do not approve."

With that Athrun abruptly picked Cagalli up and carried her bridal style out of the hospital, her face matching the color of the room they had exited.

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Chairman Zala almost yelled after them, but did not even mutter in anger, only continued to stare at the diet coke bottle placed on the edge of his bedstand.

Funny how there were so many almosts involved with Patrick Zala.


	2. Drastic Measures

**A/N Not quite as long as the first one, Gosh I 'm so tired. 3rd day of school and I'm already up until one writing an essay. I made sure to get my homework done, go running and sit down and finish this chapter tonight... at 10:30. So, yeah, goodnight.**

"Where is my freaking paperwork!" A blond streak flashed down the hallways of the Attha mansion, startling maids and knocking over one vase.

Cagalli stomped on the plush wine red carpet for good affect and waited to hear the shuffling of footsteps coming up the stairs.

With an all too innocent look on his face, Athrun paved his way past the last stair and to come to a stop in front of the steaming girl.

"I know you had something to do with it." She accused.

He blinked his eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My paperwork, this is the second time in a month you've taken it from me," she put up her fingers in little quotation marks, "… 'for my own good'."

He opened his mouth in protest, but instantly closed it when she fixed a glare on him that could've burned the devil himself. "Well, I did take it away." Athrun sighed as he gave in, "…but it wasn't for your own good this time, I swear, not that it doesn't hurt for you to put it all away."

"So, what is it then?" She hissed at him, Cagalli was very sensitive when it came to paperwork.

"I think we need to take a vacation."

"Liar!" she yelled, pointing her finger at him (we won't say what finger), "This is a trick to get me away from paperwork."

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Athrun appealed to her pride, "No, I was thinking about what you said earlier and you're right, we should tell him. Estranged father or not he does have the right."

Her eyes sparkled in glee when she realized she was on the verge of getting her own way, _'I'm spoiled, so sue me.'_

"It's not that I think he really has the right, but If we're going to do this we should do it right and that involves getting permission from both parties." Cagalli explained.

"You sound like you're writing up a contract," he grinned and then frowned, "the reason I was against it is because we already know what he's going to say."

"Yeah, but years from now he can't argue that we didn't ask." Cagalli put a finger to her chin, in a thinking position. "So, does he prefer diet coke or regular?"

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It had been almost two years since their first visit to the now former chairman and it would be a new experience this time.

Athrun sighed, looking out the window of the shuttle, towards space. He was nominally depressed at the thought of having to break the news to his father.

"Stop sighing like that."

He turned towards her and sighed "Like what?"

She elbowed him in the stomach and he bent over, "Like that, stupid. You were like this last time too. Man, you are way too depressing to keep around."

At that statement he laughed and replied, "But you'll be keeping me anyway."

"I suppose I will." She sighed and turned away, the heat rising in her face. Two years of this and she would had yet to stop blushing at his teasing.

Space traveled by, stars glowing brightly on the planet that floated beneath them, until they finally arrived in Plant.

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The clinic hadn't really changed much; it was still a pale lime green on the outside, and an awful hot pink on the inside. They had installed carpet, a dark forest green shag that they sunk ankle deep in, and had to trudge through to reach the main desk.

Additions in rooms were not included in the refurbishing, and they made their way down the one hallway into the only hospital room.

There was no hesitation in their step this time and they opened the doors, watching the nurse leave after announcing their arrival. After two years of being there, the older Zala had not added one personal touch. All in all it was still the same cold, embarrassing hot pink room, with a sad, old, gray haired man in bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why don't you at least say h-" Athrun was interrupted by a small foot stamping on his toes, and Cagalli stepped forward ahead of him.

She laughed nervously and then coughed, "Sir…"

'_Probably the only time she's ever been polite and it's to this guy.'_ Athrun sighed.

"… we have come to announce some-" the younger Zala interrupted this time, at the expense of a tense Cagalli.

"We're getting married."

Patrick Zala exploded. He of course exploded calmly, because he is Patrick Zala and Patrick Zala only gets worked up about blowing up the Earth.

"I will never approve."

Cagalli turned red, whether in embarrassment or anger he wasn't sure. This had been all her idea and to be turned down so flatly had to hurt her pride at least a little bit. Her pride was big though and a little bit added up to a lot.

"Listen, Mr. Zala! I am going to… I am going to do something… something very, very drastic," Her face at this point was turning to a mottled maroon that Athrun was sure he had never seen appear on anyone else's face before – even Yzak's. "… you need to stop being so damn stubborn and just accept that we don't hate each other like you expect Naturals and Coordinators too." Cagalli then proceeded to turn towards him and reach up to grab him behind the head. She brough this head down and stood there on her tiptoes, touching her lips to his. He responded quickly pressing harder and grabbin her waste to push her against him. Cagalli taking action in this way was rare, but Athrun loved it when she did. When they came up for air she was read to the top of her ears and then began to mumble, so low that Athrun almost missed what she said, "It's the opposite."

For the second time the ex-Chairman watched his son walk away from him with a Natural.

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The church was decorated with white flowers, sashes, and people. Small benches filled only slightly with friends, who were dressed in white and all eyes turned to watch the groom stand at the alter - waiting for the bride to appear. Bridesmaids wore dresses of a green familiar to anyone who knew the girl getting married; they, the woodworkings of the benches, and the stained glass that filtered shimmering light through were the only color inside the chapel.

It was a small wedding, with the help of certain people the couple had managed to keep media out and close friends in.

Reporters might have been hurt if they had been allowed to appear, the bride had a very short temper with them.

"I will never approve" These words echoed in his ears as Athrun stepped up to the priest at the end of the aisle. Kisaka, Kira, Sahib, Dearka and Yzak stood off to the side as the groomsmen – Dearka had been snickering for the past fifteen minutes at Athrun's nervous twitching.

"I will never approve." Athrun heard it again.

And he felt that was all the permission he needed to finally slip the ring on Cagalli's finger and kiss her.


End file.
